Upwork Readiness Test Answers: Ace the Quiz With This Cheat Sheet [2022]

Editor’s Note: Upwork removed the Upwork Readiness Test requirement in late 2022. This article only remains as a historical record of the defunct process.

So you’ve just signed up for a new Upwork account and are ready to take your Upwork Readiness Test. 

But who wants to bother actually reading through Upwork’s Terms of Service when you can just google the correct answers instead?

Look, I’m not here to judge. 

But I will make ya work for it, just a bit, in hopes that you also might learn something along the way.

Why the Upwork Readiness Test is more important than you think

Before we begin, you should know that the topics covered in the Upwork Readiness Test are going to be crucial in your ability to find success on the platform. 

Understanding how to set your profile up for success, how to utilize Payment Protection, how to win jobs and how to improve your Job Success Score isn’t rocket science. 

And yet, these are key details that many users tend to gloss over when signing up for the platform, and later complain that they don’t understand.

That’s why Upwork asks all of their freelancers to take the Upwork Readiness Test in the first place. It forces users to stop and take a moment to fully digest how to get the most out of the Upwork platform.

So as you take the quiz, try to take a moment and let this information sink in. 

Read Also: Can you make good money on Upwork: How I made $500,000 in 4 years

And finally, it’s also important to note that the order of these questions will be randomized when you take the test. And freelancers are only given two minutes to answer each question.

This is yet another reason why it’s important to actually learn what the correct answers should be instead of trying to simply cheat else you may run out of time.

With that disclaimer out of the way, below you will find 10 questions and answers from the Upwork Readiness Test along with a bit of personal commentary on each. 

Question 1: Invite-Only jobs

Spoiler alert, regularly receiving job invites rather than having to use up your Upwork Connects and constantly applying for jobs should be every Upworker’s ultimate goal. 

I haven’t personally applied for a job in over two years. And because replying to invites requires no Connects, the entire process costs me nothing. 

And the quickest way to transition from hustling on the job feed to solely relying on that steady stream of invites is to create and maintain a robust profile.

Question: 

Many jobs on Upwork are posted privately as invite-only jobs (these jobs don’t require Connects). A strong profile can help you receive more invitations and win more work.

Which items help you create a 100% complete profile? (Please check all that apply.)

Answer: 

• A professional-looking profile photo of yourself
• A title, overview, and employment history
• A list of your top skills
• A portfolio of work

Question 2: Contracts and accepting offers

I hate to be the one to break it to you – but there are a lot of terrible people out there. Sure, I believe there are more good clients than bad. But, that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t strive to protect yourself, just in case.

And if you want Upwork Customer Service to have your back when a situation arises, you’ll want to be sure you’ve actually accepted the job offer before starting work on the project.

Accepting an offer puts a contract in place between you and the client that, in a nutshell, they promise to pay you ABC for the completion of XYZ project.

Question:

Working safely on Upwork should be your #1 priority. This includes never starting to work on a job unless you already have a contract in place with your client.

Which of the following statements about starting to work on a job is true?

Answer:

Start the work only once the client has sent you an offer, you have accepted the offer on the platform, and your contract appears in the My Jobs > All Contracts tab

Question 3: Improving your Job Success Score

This is one of the most frequently asked questions I receive about the Upwork platform: “How do I improve my Job Success Score?”.

Again, while the exact calculations of the Job Success Score seem to be a company secret, methods of improving that score are readily available, and widely encouraged.

Keeping your clients happy, focusing on long-term relationships and bigger contracts are all crucial factors in achieving and maintaining that perfect 100% score.

Question:

Your Job Success Score measures your clients’ satisfaction with your work on Upwork, reflecting relationships, feedback, and job outcomes.

Which of the following statements about your Job Success Score on Upwork are true? (Please check all that apply.)

Answer:

• Your Job Success Score measures your client’s satisfaction with your overall work history on Upwork
• Longer-term relationships are a plus and can help boost your score
• Jobs with higher earnings weigh more and will have a bigger impact on your score

Question 4: Upwork Terms of Service

One of the reasons I’ve been so successful on Upwork is that I’ve always played by the rules.

Far too often freelancers try to cheat the system by accepting payment off-site or stealing clients.

Read Also: Why is Upwork bad: A letter to the naysayers from a $500k freelancer

They then wonder why they were banned from the platform, ruining all future prospects of being able to make money on the site.

Upwork provides a valuable service in connecting you with valuable client leads, handling your contracts, protecting your payments and providing around-the-clock customer service.

And they do it all for less than what the average recruiter or agency charges. 

My advice: Don’t bite the hand that feeds. Commit to playing by the rules.

Question:

Upwork’s Terms of Service help users stay safe and maintain a trustworthy marketplace.

Which of the following statements about Upwork’s Terms of Service are true? (Please check all that apply.)

Answer:

• You commit to keeping client relationships on Upwork for at least 24 months, unless you or your client pays a conversion fee to take the relationship off the marketplace
• Soliciting or accepting payment from an Upwork client off the platform is a violation of Upwork’s Terms of Service
• You can only have ONE Upwork account. This one account gives you access to any account type you may need including: freelancer, client, agency

Question 5: Writing effective proposals

Another question that I see being asked constantly is: “How do I write a better Upwork proposal?”

Well, here’s the good news, Upwork has plenty of advice on the topic.

The bad news is, most freelancers seem to ignore that advice entirely and then complain the system “doesn’t work”.

I know this from personal experience because in addition to being a freelancer on Upwork, I also occasionally play the role of client.

And when I review job proposals, I cannot tell you how rare it is for applicants to include key items that Upwork recommends.

Those key items include a personal greeting, relevant job experience and a basic project outline.

Furthermore, there seems to be a rather serious issue on the platform with freelancers who simply copy and paste the same cover letter for every job.

Don’t get me wrong, I too have a basic template that I follow. But I also tweak it each time to better correspond with the job at hand. 

Read Also: How to write an Upwork proposal: 11 proven tips with samples

I promise, your prospective clients are tired of reading through dozens of hyper-generic cover letters every time they post a job. 

Try your best to stand out and prove that you took the time to read and understand the post before you applied.

Question:

Your proposal is often your first interaction with a potential client. It’s your opportunity to introduce yourself, highlight your expertise, and show the client why you’re the best professional for the job.

What are the best practices for submitting a winning proposal through Upwork? (Please check all that apply.)

Answer:

• Write a personal and professional greeting
• Describe your relevant experience in key areas listed in the job post – demonstrate you’ve read it
• Outline how you would approach and complete the job
• Respond to any screening questions listed in the job post

Question 6: Your response time

Another key element to finding success on the Upwork platform is being as responsive as possible to job invites. 

The longest I ever go without responding to an invite is 48 hours and that’s only if I receive it on a holiday or long weekend.

And I turn my profile off completely when I am on vacation or too busy to accept new work. 

Question:

Your overall response time is displayed on your Upwork profile.

Which of the following describes your responsiveness score? (Please check all that apply.)

Answer: 

• Your responsiveness score is based on how quickly you respond to (accept/decline) clients’ invitations to jobs
• Your responsiveness score appears on your profile for clients to see

Question 7: Upwork’s Payment Protection on fixed-rate contracts

At some point in your career, you will run into someone who will try to scam you. It happens to everyone. And it happens just as often “off-site” as it does on the Upwork platform.

Most often, it’s the result of a client who either refuses to pay or tries to short you because of a frivolous claim. 

But unlike the real world where you might have to get an expensive lawyer involved, Upwork mitigates the risk with something called Payment Protection.

Upwork Payment Protection basically adds a security layer to hourly and fixed-rate jobs. They can even act as an unofficial mediator should a dispute between you and your client arise.

I personally love Upwork Payment Protection so much that I often bring new off-site clients over to Upwork because I know that customer service will always have my back when I am in the right.

The question and answer below offer insight on how fixed-rate milestone-based jobs are protected by this service.

Question:

A fixed price job has a set price and payments are made at predetermined project milestones.

How does Upwork’s Payment Protection for fixed-price jobs work (using Escrow)?

Answer:

The client deposits (pre-funds) a milestone payment into escrow before you begin working. upon receiving and approving the work, the client releases the payment to you

Question 8: Upwork’s Payment Protection on hourly projects

And this is how Payment Protection works with hourly contracts. I personally use this method for 90% of the jobs I take on.

Question:

When working on an hourly job, you invoice your client for time worked on the project.

What do you need to qualify for Upwork’s Payment Protection for hourly jobs? (Please check all that apply.)

Answer:

• You must have an hourly contract
• You must have a client with a verified billing method
• You must log your hours with the Upwork Desktop App
• You must write out activities performed in the Work Diary with memos or activities labels

Question 9: How to become Top-Rated on Upwork

Again, there’s no mystery behind achieving that oh-so-coveted Top-Rated status on Upwork. 

Benefits of the Top-Rated status include reduced fees on Featured Jobs, more control over your Job Success Score, premium customer service and faster payments on hourly contracts.

Read Also: How do you become Top Rated on Upwork: Badges, requirements and benefits 

And the details on how to achieve that status can be found below.

Question:

Upwork’s Top Rated program recognizes freelancers that have a proven history of success with multiple clients, contribute to a safe marketplace and follow Upwork’s Terms of Service.

Which are the requirements to achieve Top Rated freelancer status on Upwork? (Please check all that apply.)

Answer:

• Job Success score of 90%+
• $1,000 earnings in the past year
• 100% complete profile
• Up-to-date availability status
• No recent account holds

Question 10: Accepting off-site payments

This goes back to how important it is not to cheat the system.

Accepting payments off-site is a violation of Upwork’s Terms of Service and it’s an act that could get both you and your client permanently suspended from the platform.

Plus, if you end up getting scammed because you failed to go through the proper channels, you’ll have to deal with the consequences on your own. 

If you break the rules, you break the contract and Upwork will not be able to assist.

Question:

Upwork offers a number of choices for withdrawing your funds, including Direct to Local Bank, ACH, USD wire transfer, Instant Pay for U.S. freelancers, PayPal and Payoneer.

To prevent falling victim to payment scams, which tips should you follow to protect yourself from suspicious activities?

Answer:

Contact Upwork’s customer support when a client offers to pay you directly via PayPal, Western Union, or another method outside of the Upwork payments system

And that’s it! Commit the above information to heart and you will be ready to pass the Upwork Readiness Test with flying colors! 

Editor’s Note: I will do my best to keep this article updated but keep in mind that questions and answers may change over time at Upwork’s discretion. This quiz was taken on Dec. 2, 2021.

What did you think of my Upwork Readiness Test study guide? Let me know in the comments below and don’t forget to connect with me on social media.

PS: If you’ve found any of the above advice helpful, and you feel so inclined – buy me a coffee (leave a tip) on Kofi!

• Twitter
• Facebook
• LinkedIn
• Patreon
• Instagram
• YouTube